Oct 20, 20214 min read

MINIMALISM: Live Better with Less [Part 2: the update]

Here is an update about my minimalism way of life, one year later! I wanted to share with you about my way of consuming fast fashion and such. It looks like many people are struggling to start living minimalist so let’s do our best together!

‘This lifestyle changed my way of consuming, spending money and organizing my life’

WHAT CHANGED?

BEAUTY

As I often receive packages from brands, I used to have a lot of cosmetics. Brands say they will send a few products and we receive dozens of them. Let’s be honest, I don’t need ten creams or serums. So, as soon as I receive packages, I sort out. I keep what I truly need and is adapted to my skin (I have a sensitive skin so I have to be careful). Things I don’t need: I give them to friends, family or charity. No way to waste products! I want to respect the brands I support, but also my minimalistic lifestyle. It’s all about balance.

CLOTHING

I’m proud to say that in a year I:

Kept sorting out my closet and sold a lot of things on Vinted [European secondhand app]. I also gave a lot of items to charity.
Didn’t buy a lot of things in months as I didn’t need anything. Compared to all what I used to buy, that’s a huge change!

I also respect a new rule: ‘one enter, one get out’. It means every time I buy a new items, I get rid of another one. It helps me to keep a good balance, especially with my shoes collection. I have a small ‘shoesing’, so I need to keep the same number of pairs. For example, I juste realized there is a pair of boots I didn’t wear during winter so… I need to let it go, right?

‘But it’s still important to have fun’

ADMINISTRATIVE PAPERS

I put everything in a binder with tabs for each category: medical, phone, apartment,… It helps me to stay organized and be able to sort out papers. Sometimes we keep them ‘just in case’ but, in the end, they are not important.

KITCHEN

I sort out the mugs. Let’s be honest, we have dozens of them, but we only need a few. Same for glasses and plates. I gained such a lot of space! So satisfying!

DECORATION

I almost bought nothing. I received a frame that I love for Christmas. I bought a carpet. And that’s all. Decoration is also something we tend to accumulate at home, and having too many things displayed may feel oppressive. So let’s keep it simple!

MISCELLANEOUS

My pet peeve: books. I love reading! (Thanks to my literature studies I guess) So I have a lot of books at home. The most important point is: keep the books you love, and that you will read again, and get rid of the others. Let’s be honest, it’s rare to read two times the same book… Unless it’s Harry Potter of course!

One more thing I’m quite proud of: I didn’t ask anything to my relatives for my Birthday. They kept asking me what I wanted to receive as a gift, but I said I’d prefer to receive money, or gift cards. I’m quite happy with this decision!

‘Because we buy too many things, we don’t take time to enjoy what we already own’

MINIMALISM BENEFITS

As Marie Kondo wrote in her book, getting rid of unnecessary things, we feel lighter. Sometimes we don’t even feel the burden. Now I feel relief and freedom. It may look like a cult said this way lol, but believe me, changing your home interior changes your self interior too.
I enjoy things more. When I buy something, I feel super happy about it. Sometimes, when we buy too many things, we don’t even take time to enjoy the things we already own. I used to be like this: getting bored of things right after buying it, and buying a new one no longer after. Instead, having timeless items mean always enjoying what I own, and my style never get cheesy (well, at least I hope so lol).
Also, I tend to enjoy more the little things. As I was writing before, I didn’t get any huge gift for my birthday, but I spent an amazing day instead. I spent time with my family, the weather was great, I dressed up and ate a delicious cake… Nothing is better than that! Life is simpler and I enjoy these little moments to the best.
SAVINGS. Of course, when we buy less, we spend less! I saved money without even thinking about it. If you try, you will really see a difference. I took the habit to write down all spendings in a notebook, and so I changed my way to spend money. I helped to monitor what we spend and all. So convenient!